They number in the millions. They are all around us, but they live in the shadows.
They exist within a medical system that fails them and within a political system that treats them as druggies who receive medicine from doctors viewed as drug pushers.
The documentary tells their stories from the perspective of people who are the most hurting. They discuss their ordeals with friends, pharmacists, and doctors while fighting The System. They talk about giving up and how, sometimes, suicide seems like the easiest solution.
In addition, the documentary captures the wisdom of leading pain specialists who candidly speak out about our American medical system that has some of the worst outcomes in the world in pain management due to insurance, politics, and poor medical education. The Painful Truth caps a two-year coast-to-coast journey through despair, helplessness…and, above all, hope.